New mothers feel poorly informed about life-threatening infection

Iain Lynn

Most pregnant women and new mothers feel inadequately informed about an infection that kills one baby every week in the UK, data suggests.

A poll of more than 3,000 women for the charity Group B Strep Support found only one in three feel well informed about the risks of Group B Strep (GBS), which is the UK's most common cause of life-threatening infection in newborn babies.

GBS can cause a range of serious problems, including meningitis, septicaemia and pneumonia.

Two newborns every day develop the infection. While many recover, one baby a week does not survive and one baby a week is left disabled.

The NHS does not currently recommend screening for GBS.

Women living in other countries - including the US, Canada, France, Germany and Slovenia - are routinely offered a test.

In the new poll, carried out by Bounty for Group B Strep Support, two thirds of expectant or new mothers said they were not properly informed about GBS.

Personal experience or hearing about GBS from a friend remain the most common ways women become aware of the infection.

Around one in five pregnant women in the UK carries GBS in their digestive system or their vagina and some babies become infected during birth.

Symptoms of GBS in babies include being floppy and unresponsive, not feeding well, grunting, having a high or low temperature, and fast or slow breathing or heart rate.

Women who test positive for GBS can be offered antibiotics in labour to reduce the chance of passing on the infection to their baby.

Group B Strep Support chief executive Jane Plumb said she was pleased that the survey showed that, on the whole, awareness of GBS among women was increasing.

But she added: "In too many cases, this awareness is the result of either tragic personal experience or that of a friend.